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The Tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and TV programming quality for millions of moviegoers. It represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show.

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Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

Rotten

The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

Certified Fresh

Movies and TV shows are Certified Fresh with a steady Tomatometer of 75% or higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-release movies, 40 for limited-release movies, 20 for TV shows), including 5 reviews from Top Critics.

Poor. Not only was the story poorly told, but for the most part, the acting was atrocious. Poor casting for almost all of the characters (bar Marion) and a bastardisation of a well-loved childrens book has led to less of a nostalgia trip and more of an anger-inducing mockery. Unfortunately, the same can be said for all other film adaptions of WIlson's books. The emotional attachment to characters, the feeling, the anxiety, and the effect of taking a journey with April was not found here. Awful.

What a sad story!! It isn't real but this has gone on a lot. I did not like Marion and felt she was too insensitive. April had no a single person who actually LOVED her. Broke my heart. During the first half of the film I did not like Dakota's acting. I have seen her in two other films and hated her in those, but she acted fine in this in the latter half. I really liked the child April's too (sure there were about 3???). IT was really sad and did affect me a bit and the best out of all 3 Jacqueline Wilson movies (that is how I knew of the film as I used to like Jackie's books. Never read the book of this one) I felt April should've been a little less 'soft' in points and deserved better than Marion (even though she was alright to her at her home, April badly needed love). Overall a great film. I wish 'April' didn't wear earrings and mascara so much during the film. Where does the money for it come from? Dakota played her pretty well though considering she could not relate at all to the character. So that's neat. Shame she never found her mother which is really sad. But best she doesn't know the woman that dumped her in such a horrible way!! I really liked how deeply they went into April's upbringing. It made me understand her so much and I really liked how much they explored her character. 10 billion times better than 'The Illustrated mum'!! The pizza boy bit with the mobile number was so sweet.... I just wish that guy was younger (with no wife and kids) and could be her boyfriend!! He put the number there incase she came back! Didn't like the ex pizza guy's acting and Dakota's ending at the very end. BUT the bit when she said "YOU'RE MINE MARION, YOU'RE REALLY MINE". Got me to tear a little bit, didn't have a LOT of emotional effect on me, but it was really beautiful anyway. The ending was absolutely perfect. Beautiful ending!

I don't tend to watch films made for television as they rarely work due to limitations. Dustbin Baby might not use it's interesting premise to it full advantage, but it's good in the end.

Dustbin Baby is about a April, a troubled teenager who was abandoned in a dustbin as an infant and searches for her past. The setup is what got me interested in the first place and couldn't wait to see where it was going to take the story. Unfortunately the direction the plot takes is not as interesting as it could have been. I like the nonlinear storytelling, but it heavily relies on flashbacks to tell the story. April adoptive mother is a moron, she actually believes that April ran away from home because she didn't get April her "mobile" (they never refer to it as a cell-phone). Would you believe the last place she looks is the place April was abandoned as a infant despite knowing that she was abandoned there on her birthday. It does have it good moments, like the flashbacks when April was a young girl are effectively emotional. April is a interesting female character who's three dimensional and the more she developed it got interesting. My main problem from the plot is that instead solely concentrating on April exploring into her past, we have boring scenes of April adoptive mother looking her. Even though Dustbin Baby doesn't effectively uses it setup properly, it does have it moments.

The acting by our leading lady, Dakota Blue Richards, is nothing special, but you could tell she has potential. Unlike most of actresses her age like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, I actually thought Dakota Blue Richards has talent and makes me wonder why she isn't more popular. The rest of the cast acting is mix. In ones scenes it sounded like a woman was laughing, but the music tells you that she's crying. It's kinda embarrassing when music has to tell you what emotion is given. The direction is actually good, I was never confuse in what was going on and it told the story well despite it flaws. Now there's a novel by the same name which I have never read so I don't know if fans of the novel will enjoy it. The movie itself could have been better, but considering the limitations of television I can't the same level of quality for as a feature film. It did have effort going into it and heart, though the payoff is not as good as it could have been.

Dustbin Baby is not as it could have been, but it not bad for a movie made for television. It's not bad watch to be honest, but you will wish it was better if you do watch it.

This movie is heartbreaking but really good. I feel for April because she feels so alone and she doesn't even want to tell her friends about herself. I love how flashbacks are used and that on her birthday she wants to go back to places she's stayed at and finally where she was found in a dustbin next to a pizza place. The first time I watched it I think I was 11 and I can't remember which bit at, probably the end, but I cried. Definitely worth watching!

I don't know for something my sisters watched on CBBC, this was pretty good. I always loved Jacquline Wilson as a kid. It has a very cool, mature feel to it. Much like The Unloved on Channel 4, but suitable for a younger audience.

Decent TV movie. Wasn't one I set out to watch, but flicked over the channel five minutes in and Dakota Blue Richards's portrayal of bratty April made me interested enough to see it through. I did not realise until I read some other reviews that it was written by Jacqueline Wilson - I used to love her books when I was a teen (would not know about her more recent ones - this is 80's era such as "Waiting for the sky to fall" and "The power of the Shade"). For some reason I kind of thought that it was a true story, and from the write up in the tv mag, that it would be an American "lifeline" type story. I was quite surprised to see it was British!The story is pretty so-so, about a teen girl who was abandoned in a dustbin when she was a baby (hence the title), and the foster homes she went to and her hard life. It ends in her coming to terms with what happened and finding her peace with it. Dakota definitely has a future as an actress - she really carries this movie. Even when you can't especially like her behaviour, she has a compelling presence that keeps you watching. Worth a watch.

This is a great example where the book was absolutely useless and the movie just took you by surprise and put a big fat smile on your face. This movie was amazing, and even though you've read the book and hate it this movie is still definitely worth a look, because it will most certainly throw you surprises and definitely make your day!

Wow. Just Wow. This movie was, to me, actually very touching, which isn't something even my most favorite movies in the world do. It's the story of a 14 year old girl, who, on her birthday, remembers her troubled past as she is on the run trying to find out who she really is, back to the very beginning when a Pizza Boy found her, as a baby, abandoned...in a dustbin. She was from then on hurt many, many times, and moved to so many different foster parents, she always knew by the time she reached age 10 that everyone would leave her in the end, she felt unwanted, and unloved. As she remembers her past her newest foster parent remembers back when she first met April, as she tries to find her. It may not sound like a giant, blow-you-away movie, but while it didn't blow me away, it really made me think, nor was it ruined by un-nessecary action sequences, which it has none, it didn't need them. It was truly a very good story, very well written and also had amazing performances from every member of the cast. I totally recommend this movie...for anyone who has a heart, and is not afraid to admit it.

I loved this movie so much. Can be a bit depressing when April has her flashbacks but makes it all-the-more a more enjoyable film. April is such a good character and copes with her life very well. A good idol. One of Jaqueline Wilson's "better" stories. Me not being a great fan of hers, I surprisingly loved the book and the film.